Flange-controlling mechanism.



G. P. BRAND.

FLANGE CONTROLUNG MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13. 1915.

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FLANGE CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13, 1915- Patented June 20, 1916.

' a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. P. BRAND.

FLANGE CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

APPLlCATlON HLED APR. 13. 1915.

Momma THB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm, WASIHNOTQN, n. c.

GEORGE 1?. BRAND,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FLANGE-CONTBOLLING- MECHANISM.

Application filed. April 13, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonon P. BRAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F hinge-Controlling ltiechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in means for automatically controlling the flanges of a take-up spool in automatic musical instruments and the like, said means being controlled by the note sheet and thus rendering the spool applicable for note sheets of different widths.

The mechanism which controls the flanges serves to set the latter or retain them in-fixed position after once adjusted to the width of sheet, and may be controlled from the note sheet in a variety of ways. In devices of this character employing fixed flanges it has been necessary to space such flanges a. sufficient distance apart to take in the greatest width of sheet, usually allowing a little space so that the edges of the sheet do not contact with the flanges. Having too much room for the music sheet on the take-up spool between the flanges on large rolls of music causes bad re-winding and inaccurate results because it wanders from side to side and makes it wind loose and the core will shift back and forth. The sheet is thus wound unevenly and the one edge will at times engage the one flange and then the other edge will engage the other flange. The disadvantageous results will be readily understood. lfiurthermore, where t'acking devices are employed in conjunction with talreaip spools having fixed flanges, this uneven winding throws a great deal more work on the tracking device and distorts the music and. consequently, unsatisfactory results are attained. My present improvement overcomes these objections. Furthermore, my present improvement insures satisfactory results.

In conjunction with the movable flanges I employ automatically movable sheet controlled means operating in unison therewith. In the present instance I have chosen to show such sheet controlled means in the form of devices engageable with the edges of a. note sheet, but it is to be understood that this is but one form of sheet controlled means that may be employed in connection with the mova le flanges hereinbefore de- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 20, 1916.

Serial No. 21,163.

scribed. I may also employ in conjunction with the note sheet controlled and controlling devices hereinbefore referred to, means for moving the music spool in conjunction with said aforenamed devices, although this latter may sometimes be omitted.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the numerals of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my pres ent improvement. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the lower portion thereof showing the various pneumatic connections. Fig. 3 is a top plan with the top of the music box and other portions removed. Fig. 4t is a vertical section from front to rear, as on the line 4"""4: of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 5 is an. enlarged detail with portions in section, showing one of the edge guides and its support. Fig. 6 is a section on the line G of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 7 is a section through the music spool actuating pneumatics. Fig. '8 is an enlarged detail of the cut-out valve in its closed position. Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the parts in position upon rewind. Fig. 10 is a view of the valve looking at the inner face.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the different views.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown such parts only of a mechanical musical instrument as pertain directly to the present invention, it being understood that the parts not shown or described may be of any conventional form and connected and arranged to operate in theusual manner.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a music spool box, 2 the tracker, 3 the take up spool, 4L the music spool and 5 the spindles of the latter. The flanges 6 of the take-up spool are movable in the direction of the length of its shaft 7. They are nor mally forced outward, that is away from the ends of the spool by springs 8. They are designed to be moved inward simultaneously toward each other by the following means. At each end of the music spool box, in this instance shown as at the bottom thereof, I j

aiiix a pneumatic 9 and each pneumatic carries upon its movable leaf a. rod or arm 10 which rxtends upward through a slot in the partition or bottom board 11 of the spool box, as seen best in Fig. t. T he member may be secured in any suitable manner to the pneumatic, one convenient form being shown in Fig. l. The upper end of each member 10 extends preferably above the shaft 7 of the take-up roll so as to exert its influcure a a point above said shaft upon a member 12 which extends downward through a slot 13 in the member 11, as seen clearly in Fig. l, and is, intermei'liate its ends. sleeved upon the shaft T so as to move freely thereon and to engage against the hub 1i of the adjacent tiange (3, as seen in Fig. 1. This member 12 has attached to its upper end in any suitable manner, as by a screw 15, a valve body 16 having a port 17, as seen best in Figs. and (3, and which communicate with a passage 18 terminating in a nipple 19 adapted to be connected by a flexible tube 20 with a nipple or the like 21 mounted in the coupling block which has theretln'ough a passageway 23 from which extends a nipple it which, in turn, is connected by tubing with a passage 26 in a block 27. In the block 27 is a passage 28 connecting the two passages 20 through bleeds 29, as shown in Fig. 7. Leading from the passage is a passage 30 designed to be connected in any well known way to the exhaust mechanism of theinstrument, not shown. Leading from passages ill in the block 27, which are in communication with the passages it there extends a tube or connection 32 to a cut-out bloc; 33, and a connection or tube St to said block 03). From this cut-out block extends a connection 35 communicating with the interior of one pneumatic 9 and from said block there extends anothcr connection 36 communicating with the other pneumatic 9, all as seen clearly in Fig. 2.

The members 1/3 after extending through the slots 13 in the board 11 extend horizontally, as seen best in Figs. 1 and 3 at and their adjacent ends are pivotally connected. as at 38, with the opposite ends of a bar 39 pivotally mounted between its ends. as at it), upon the under side of the member ll, as seen clearly in said Figs. 1 and The ports 17 in the valve bodies 16, one near each end of the trache'rbar, are controlled by the valves ll pivotally mounted on the said blocks, as at 4.2, and disposed so as to close over said ports, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6. The valves are extended at right angles to their operative portions just described, as see at l3, and terminate in edge guides it arranged to contact with opposite edges of the note sheet 45, as seen clearly in Fig. 1. A spring to is disposed between the portion 3 and the adjacent wall of the valve body or block 16 to normally force the member it?) in the direction of the arrow seen in Fig. 5 and thus normally keep the valve to its seat over the port to close the same.

The spindles 5 of the music spool lare carried by the depending portions l6 and ll of the- U-shaped bars atS and i9 respectively, which are rigidly secured together to move in unison. The adjacent portions l6 and it? may be braced, if found necessary, by suitable braces 50, as seen in Fig. 1. The U- shaped members are supported on the uprights 51 which have pins 52 at their upper ends engaged loosely in openings in the adjacent portion of the member -14.) and these uprights 51 are mounted at their lower ends on screws or the like 53 held in the ends of the music spool box so as to allow of the necessary movement of these uprights to and from the ends of the box.

5% is a spring around the shaft confined between the depending portion l0 and the end of the tubular portion of the spindle rigid with the shaft 55, the shaft and spindle being movable together and the spring com pressed by movement of the left-hand spindle to the left to permit the insertion of the roll.

is a vertical rod pivotally mounted between its ends, as at 57, on some fixed sup port, its upper end being pivotally connected, as at 58, with a rod 59 adjustably connected with the adjacent portion if) of the U-shaped member l8 by buttons or the like (30 on said rod upon ooposite sides of said portion 46. The lower end of this rod 56 has pivotally connected therewith, at 61, a. horizontally disposed rod (32, the other end of which connected, as at 63, with the movable member triof a pneumatic 65, all as shown clearly in Fig. l.

The movable member (llof the pneumatic (35 is connected by the rod 6b with the movable member 67 of a pneumatic 8, as seen in Figs. 1 and The pneumatics and 38 are mounted on the block in any well known way and have in their tixed members openings (if) and it) which communicate with the passages Si in the block 27 through the lateral passages 71 and 72 in said block, as seen clearly in Fig. T.

In order that the edge guides, as well as the flanges may be. relieved from contact with the sheet during the rewind, I provide the following mechanism. T3 is the usual toothed wheel movable to and from the music box to cause the music to travel in one direction or the other. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the parts are in position for playing and the valve Tl, which is pivotally mounted at T5, is in its closed position. The. upper end of this valve is connected by rod 76 with the hub of the toothed wheel 73, as at T7, in any suitable manner. This valve, when in this position, covers the ports 78 .i do

and 79, as well as the ports and 81 in the coupling block 33. The valve 74 has upon its inner face two transversely disposed depressions 88 and 84, as seen best in Fig. 10. When the valve is in its closed position, these depressions 83 and Set communicate with the ports 78 and 80 and 79 and 81 respectively and, consequently, the ports 78 and 80 are in communication with each other and the ports 79 and S1 with each other. When the toothed wheel 73 is moved to the right for re-wind, throwing the pin into engagement with an opening in the lower sprocket wheel, the valve 71L is moved to the right uncovering the ports 78 and 79 but still covering the ports 80 and 81, as shown in Fig. 9, so that there is no passage of air therethrough.

86 is a spring bearing on the valve 74 to hold it to its seat.

The ports 78 and 79 connect respectively with the end pneumatics 9 by means of the connections 35 and 36 hereinbefore described and shown in Fig. 2. The ports 80 and S1 connect by tubes or the like 82 and 3& hereinbefore described with the passages 31 in the block 27 also clearly described hereinbefore.

Vith the parts constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described, the operation, briefly stated, is as follows Fig. 1 shows the parts in position to be operated. The roll is in position and upon drawing the note sheet over the trackerbar and fastening it in the usual manner to the take-up spool and starting to play, tension is supplied to all of the pneumatic parts, causing the pneumatics 9 on each side of the box to partially collapse until either or both of the edge guides come against the paper, also carrying the flanges with them. Now, if the edge guide at the right should touch the paper first, the valve 41 controlled thereby will be slightly opened and the pneumatic 9 corresponding with the same will cease to have any power to move the edge guide farther and also reduce the power in pneumatic 68 and give the other pneumatics 9 and G5 on the left full power to continue to collapse as the valve ll controlling the edge guide mechanism is still closed through the bleed 29 on the left, seen in Fig. 7, thereby causing the sheet to move toward the left and the edge guide on the left to move toward the right until the said edge guide and sheet meet and the two valves assume.

a slight open position, thereby holding the flanges to practically the eXa ct width ofthe sheet, and continuing to hold them in this position until playing ceases and the mechanism is reversed for re-winding.

It is to be noted that when either pneumatic 9 ceases to actuate its corresponding edge guide, the other pneumatic, by reason of the connections hereinbefore described between the said two pneumatics 9, continues to work and to operate both edge guides, moving them simultaneously in opposite directions until the note sheet is centralized and the flanges brought to their adjusted position in close proximity to the opposite edges of the note sheet.

It will be readily seen that the devices hereinbefore described will readily automatically adapt themselves to sheets of varying widths as the flanges of the take-up spool will be automatically carried toward or away from each other according to the width of the sheet and when once adjusted to proper relation they will be thus maintained in such relative position during playmg.

Upon the rewind the ports 78 and 79 are uncovered by reason of the movement of the valve 71 to the right, admitting air into the pneumatics 9, 9, when the springs 8 serve to force the flanges 6 outwardly and with them the edge guides so that not only the flanges but the edge guides are moved out of contact with the edges of the note sheet. At the same time the ports 17 in the members 16 are closed by the valves 11, allowing equal tension to remain in the pneumatics 65 and 68 by reason of the bleeds 29, thereby centralizing said pneumatics 65 and 68 and centralizing the music spool 1 so that the sheet will be delivered to and wound thereon in perfect condition, so it will not be torn or rumpled at the edges which is a very important feature in this class of machines. Furthermore, the sheet will be in perfect condition. for use the next time. When the parts are again placed in position for play-,

ing, the valve 74 is moved to the left, closing the ports 78 and 79 and putting said ports into communication with the ports 80 and 81 through the depressions 83 and 84: in the valve and restoring all of the parts to their normal position ready for playing.

It is to be understood that suitable conncction is made between the exhaust meclr anism and the bleed chamber 28, as by tube or the like 100.

Modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advanand means controlled by a note sheet for controlling the pneumatic means.

4:. In a device of the character described, a spool having relatively movable flanges, note sheet controlled means and pneumatic means and connections whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are actuated simultaneously.

5. In a device of the character described, a spool having relatively movable flanges, note sheet controlled means and pneumatic means and connections whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are actuated simultaneously in opposite directions.

6. In a device of the character described, a spool having relatively movable flanges, note sheet controlled means and pneumatic means and connections whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are actuated in opposite directions.

7. In a device 0]": the character described, a spool having relatively movably mounted flanges, pneumatics and connections and note sheet controlled means cooperating therewith to move said flanges and note sheet controlled means.

8. I11 a. device of the character described, relatively movable flanges automatically movable to accommodate sheets of different widths.

9. In a device of the character described, relatively mo able flanges automatically movable by a note sheet to accommodate sheets of different widths.

10. In a device of the character described, a spool having movable flanges, note sheet controlled means, pneumatic means and con-' nections whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are actuated simulta neously, and means whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are moved out of operative position upon the rewind.

11. In a device of the character described, a spool having movable flanges, note sheet controlled means, pneumatic means and connections whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are actuated simultaneously in opposite directions, and means whereby said flanges and not sheet controlled means are moved out of operative position upon the rewind.

12. In a device of the character described, a spool having movable flanges, note sheet controlled means, pneumatic means and connections whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are actuated in opposite directions, and means whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are moved out of operative position upon the rewind.

13. In a device of the character described, a spool having movably mounted flanges, pneumatics and connections and note sheet controlled means cooperating therewith to move said flanges and note sheet controlled means, and means whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are moved out of operative position upon the rewind.

l l. In a device of the character described, movable flanges automatically relatively movable to accommodate sheets of different widths, note sheet controlled means, and means whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are moved out of operative position upon the rewind.

15. In a device of the character described, movable flanges automatically relatively movable by a note sheet to accommodate sheets of different widths, note sheet controlled means, and means whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are moved out of operative position upon the rewind.

16. In a device of the character described, movable flanges automatically relatively movable by a note sheet to accommodate sheets of different widths, note sheet controlled means, and means whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are moved out of contact with the note sheet upon the rewind.

17. In a device of the character described, a spool having movable flanges, note sheet controlled means, pneumatic means and connections whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are actuated simultaneously, means whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are moved out of operative position upon the rewind, and music spool controlling means cont-rolled thereby.

18. In a device of the character described, a spool having movable flanges, note sheet controlled means, pneumatic means and connections whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are actuated simultaneously, means whereby said flanges and note sheet controlled means are moved out of operative position upon the rewind, music spool controlling means controlled thereby, and means for centralizing said music spool controlling means on the rewind.

19. In a. device of the character described, a spool with movable flanges, pneumatic means for moving them. means engageable with the edges of a'note sheet "for controlling said flanges and in turn controlling said pneumatic means.

20. In a device of the character described, a spool with movable flanges, pneumatic means for moving them. means engageable with the edges of a note sheet for controlling said flanges and in turn controlling said pneumatic means, and means for centralizing the note sheet on the rewind.

21. In a device of the character described, a spool with movable flanges, pneumatic means for moving them, and a combined edge guide and pneumatic-controlling means movable with said flanges.

22. In a device of the character described,

a pair of pneumatics, a pair of edge guides, and a spool with movable flanges, said edge guides and flanges controlled from either pneumatic.

23. In a device 01 the character described, a pair of pneumatics, and a pair of edge guides controlled by either pneumatic.

24. In a device of the character described, a pair of pneumatics, a pair of edge guides, a spool with movable flanges, said edge guides and flanges controlled from either pneumatic, and a cut-out operable upon the rewind to control said pneumatics.

25. In a device of the character described, a pair of pneumatics, a pair of edge guides, a spool with movable flanges, said edge guides and flanges controlled from either pneumatic, and cut-out means operable upon the rewind for disengaging the flanges and the rewind from the note sheet.

26. In a device of the character described, a spool with movably mounted flanges, pneumatics and connections for moving said flanges, and edge guides movable with the flange moving means.

27. In a device of the character described, a spool with movably mounted flanges, pneumatics and connections for moving said flanges, edge guides movable with the flange moving means, and valves carried by the edge guides and controlling said pneumatics.

28. In a device of the character described, a spool with movable flanges, pneumatics and connections for actuating said flanges, and edge guides and pneumatic controlling means mounted for freedom of movement with the flange moving means.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

GEORGE P. BRAND.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Patents. Washington, D. C. 

